Abstract: In accordance with one aspect of the current disclosure, a blower assembly is provided that includes a housing having a pair of side walls and an outer wall connecting the side walls. The outer wall has a cutoff portion and an outlet portion. The housing includes an outlet defined at least in part by an outlet end of the outlet portion and the cutoff portion. The outer wall includes a scroll portion connecting the cutoff portion and the outlet portion. The outlet portion flares outwardly away from the cutoff portion as the outlet portion extends from the scroll portion to the outlet end of the outlet portion.

Abstract: In one aspect, a fan assembly is provided that can be manufactured while producing a significantly reduced amount of scrap material. More specifically, the fan assembly utilizes a hub ring and one or more hub strips to support a plurality of blades rather than a solid center disc or end disc used by some prior approaches. In another aspect, a method is provided that includes bending a member into an annular configuration and joining end portions of the member together to rigidly fix the member in the annular configuration. The rigid annular member may be used as an end ring, a hub ring, an orifice, or other component, while producing significantly less scrap material than traditional approaches.

Abstract: In accordance with one aspect of the current disclosure, a blower assembly is provided that includes a housing having a pair of side walls and an outer wall connecting the side walls. The outer wall has a cutoff portion and an outlet portion. The housing includes an outlet defined at least in part by an outlet end of the outlet portion and the cutoff portion. The outer wall includes a scroll portion connecting the cutoff portion and the outlet portion. The outlet portion flares outwardly away from the cutoff portion as the outlet portion extends from the scroll portion to the outlet end of the outlet portion.

Abstract: A method including bending an elongate portion of a flat strip of metallic material into a ring about an axis extending parallel to a thickness of the elongate portion of the strip of metallic material. The method includes fixing end portions of the ring together to form a flat ring, the flat ring having opposite flat side surfaces, a radially inner surface, a radially outer surface, a pair of radially inner edges, and a pair of radially outer edges, wherein the pair of radially inner edges connect the radially inner surface and the opposite flat side surfaces and the pair of radially outer edges connect the radially outer surface and the opposite flat side surfaces. The method includes connecting a plurality of curved blades to the flat ring and connecting a hub support to the curved blades at a position spaced from the flat ring along the curved blades.

Abstract: In one aspect, a fan assembly is provided that includes a plurality of elongated metallic fan blades, a first metallic end ring, a second metallic end ring, and a metallic hub support connected to the fan blades intermediate the first and second end rings. The fan blades include straight inlet edges radially inward from first and second radially inner edges of the first and second metallic end rings so that inlet portions of the blades extend radially inward from the first and second metallic end rings. In another aspect, a fan assembly is provided that includes a hub support having a hub strip and a hub ring. The hub strip has an elongate configuration with an attachment portion connected to the hub ring at one end of the hub strip and another attachment portion connected to the hub ring at an opposite end of the hub strip.

Abstract: In one aspect, a fan assembly is provided that can be manufactured while producing a significantly reduced amount of scrap material. More specifically, the fan assembly utilizes a hub ring and one or more hub strips to support a plurality of blades rather than a solid center disc or end disc used by some prior approaches. In another aspect, a method is provided that includes bending a member into an annular configuration and joining end portions of the member together to rigidly fix the member in the annular configuration. The rigid annular member may be used as an end ring, a hub ring, an orifice, or other component, while producing significantly less scrap material than traditional approaches.

Abstract: A blower assembly having a housing and a cross flow fan rotatably mounted to the housing. Rotation of the fan drives fluid flow through the housing and produces an eccentric vortex of fluid flow in the housing. The fan has a circular blade support that induces fluid flow with rotation of the fan which interacts with the eccentric vortex. The circular blade support has at least one flow interrupter configured and arranged to rotate through the interaction of the eccentric vortex and the flow induced by the circular blade support to disrupt the interaction between the eccentric vortex and the flow induced by the circular blade support. In this manner, the at least one flow interrupter reduces the effect of the unstable vortex-blade support interaction on the airflow through the blower assembly which stabilizes the air loading on the blower assembly motor and reduces noise.

Abstract: In one aspect, a manufacturing system is provided having lobe clamps configured to secure lobes of a spider, drive assemblies configured to pivot the lobe clamps, sensors for detecting the position of the lobe clamps, and a control system operably coupled to the drive assemblies and configured to cause the drive assemblies to pivot the lobe clamps and impart a twist to lobes of the spider. In another aspect, a method is provided that includes twisting lobes of a spider in a first direction toward initial target positions using a machine, permitting the lobes to twist in a second direction toward free state positions, and twisting one or more of the lobes using the machine in response to the one or more lobes having free state positions different than final target positions of the lobes.

Abstract: In one aspect, a blower assembly is provided having a housing and a cross flow fan rotatably mounted to the housing. Rotation of the fan drives fluid flow through the housing and produces an eccentric vortex of fluid flow in the housing. The fan has a circular blade support that induces fluid flow with rotation of the fan which interacts with the eccentric vortex. The circular blade support has at least one flow interrupter configured and arranged to rotate through the interaction of the eccentric vortex and the flow induced by the circular blade support to disrupt the interaction between the eccentric vortex and the flow induced by the circular blade support. In this manner, the at least one flow interrupter reduces the effect of the unstable vortex-blade support interaction on the airflow through the blower assembly which stabilizes the air loading on the blower assembly motor and reduces the noise.

Abstract: In one aspect, a fan assembly is provided that can be manufactured while producing a significantly reduced amount of scrap material. More specifically, the fan assembly utilizes a hub ring and one or more hub strips to support a plurality of blades rather than a solid center disc or end disc used by some prior approaches. In another aspect, a method is provided that includes bending a member into an annular configuration and joining end portions of the member together to rigidly fix the member in the annular configuration. The rigid annular member may be used as an end ring, a hub ring, an orifice, or other component, while producing significantly less scrap material than traditional approaches.

Abstract: In one aspect, a manufacturing system is provided having lobe clamps configured to secure lobes of a spider, drive assemblies configured to pivot the lobe clamps, sensors for detecting the position of the lobe clamps, and a control system operably coupled to the drive assemblies and configured to cause the drive assemblies to pivot the lobe clamps and impart a twist to lobes of the spider. In another aspect, a method is provided that includes twisting lobes of a spider in a first direction toward initial target positions using a machine, permitting the lobes to twist in a second direction toward free state positions, and twisting one or more of the lobes using the machine in response to the one or more lobes having free state positions different than final target positions of the lobes.

Abstract: In one embodiment, the invention provides an air movement device having a matrix polymer and nanoparticles. In another embodiment, the invention provides a method of manufacturing an air movement device having dry-mixing about 30% to about 80% by weight matrix polymer and about 2% to about 15% by weight layered clay to form a dry mixture, extruding the mixture to form a polymer nanocomposite, and molding the polymer nanocomposite into an air movement device. In yet another embodiment, the invention provides an air movement device having about 30% to about 80% by weight polypropylene, about 3% to about 10% by weight layered clay, and about 1% to about 10% by weight maleic anhydride grafted polystyrene, wherein the air movement device has a UL 94 5VA flame retardant rating.

Abstract: In one aspect, a fan assembly is provided that can be manufactured while producing a significantly reduced amount of scrap material. More specifically, the fan assembly utilizes a hub ring and one or more hub strips to support a plurality of blades rather than a solid center disc or end disc used by some prior approaches. In another aspect, a method is provided that includes bending a member into an annular configuration and joining end portions of the member together to rigidly fix the member in the annular configuration. The rigid annular member may be used as an end ring, a hub ring, an orifice, or other component, while producing significantly less scrap material than traditional approaches.

Abstract: In one embodiment, the invention provides an air movement device having a matrix polymer and nanoparticles. In another embodiment, the invention provides a method of manufacturing an air movement device having dry-mixing about 30% to about 80% by weight matrix polymer and about 2% to about 15% by weight layered clay to form a dry mixture, extruding the mixture to form a polymer nanocomposite, and molding the polymer nanocomposite into an air movement device. In yet another embodiment, the invention provides an air movement device having about 30% to about 80% by weight polypropylene, about 3% to about 10% by weight layered clay, and about 1% to about 10% by weight maleic anhydride grafted polystyrene, wherein the air movement device has a UL 94 5VA flame retardant rating.

Abstract: In one embodiment, the invention provides an air movement device having a matrix polymer and nanoparticles. In another embodiment, the invention provides a method of manufacturing an air movement device having dry-mixing about 30% to about 80% by weight matrix polymer and about 2% to about 15% by weight layered clay to form a dry mixture, extruding the mixture to form a polymer nanocomposite, and molding the polymer nanocomposite into an air movement device. In yet another embodiment, the invention provides an air movement device having about 30% to about 80% by weight polypropylene, about 3% to about 10% by weight layered clay, and about 1% to about 10% by weight maleic anhydride grafted polystyrene, wherein the air movement device has a UL 94 5VA flame retardant rating.

Abstract: Fans according to some embodiments of the present invention include a spider, a central hub coupled to the spider, and two or more fan blades. One or more fan design features can be employed (alone or in combination) in the fans of the present invention, including the use of spider arms and/or fan blades having twisted shapes, spider lobes having cupped shapes, spiders and/or fan blades having thinner dimensions than conventional spider and fan blades in similarly-sized fans, fan blades having narrower widths, larger camber-to-chord ratios and/or tapering camber-to-chord ratios, and embossments located on the spider or the fan blades of the fan. In addition, pre-balanced spider assemblies can be employed as an alternative to balancing a fan after assembly.

Abstract: The present invention employs improved fan blade shapes to improve fan blade performance in one or more manners (i.e., increased fan efficiency, lower fan noise, greater fluid moving capability, and the like). In some embodiments, the fan blade has a front side, a rear side, an inner attachment portion, an outer edge, a curved leading edge and a curved trailing edge. The outer edge can define an arc between a forward position and a rearward position of the fan blade. In some embodiments, the leading edge extends outward and intercepts the arc of the outer edge at the forward position, and the trailing edge extends outward to the rearward position. Various angles, lengths, and other dimensions of the blade can have selected values to produce superior fan performance.

Abstract: The present invention employs improved fan blade shapes to improve fan blade performance in one or more manners (i.e., increased fan efficiency, lower fan noise, greater fluid moving capability, and the like). In some embodiments, the fan blade has a front side, a rear side, an inner attachment portion, an outer edge, a curved leading edge and a curved trailing edge. The outer edge can define an arc between a forward position and a rearward position of the fan blade. In some embodiments, the leading edge extends outward and intercepts the arc of the outer edge at the forward position, and the trailing edge extends outward to the rearward position. Various angles, lengths, and other dimensions of the blade can have selected values to produce superior fan performance.

Abstract: The present invention employs improved fan blade shapes to improve fan blade performance in one or more manners (i.e., increased fan efficiency, lower fan noise, greater fluid moving capability, and the like). In some embodiments, the fan blade has a front side, a rear side, an inner attachment portion, an outer edge, a curved leading edge and a curved trailing edge. The outer edge can define an arc between a forward position and a rearward position of the fan blade. In some embodiments, the leading edge extends outward and intercepts the arc of the outer edge at the forward position, and the trailing edge extends outward to the rearward position. Various angles, lengths, and other dimensions of the blade can have selected values to produce superior fan performance.